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03Dec21
Wellington's Unbeaten Run Goes West
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix's thirteen-match unbeaten run in the Isuzu Ute A-League was brought to an end by Western Sydney Wanderers at WIN Stadium on December 3, the visitors prevailing 2-0 in controversial fashion as the inconsistencies of the Video Assistant Referee system reared their ugly head again.
A rather sterile affair - certainly compared with the clubs' Liberty A-League clash which preceded it (a case of "After the Lord Mayor's Show"?) - took some time to come to life, with David Ball's wayward sixth minute effort the only attempt on goal at either end in the opening half-hour, although Wellington captain Alex Rufer wasn't far away from getting his head to a Clayton Lewis delivery in the eighteenth minute.
On the half-hour, Wellington was denied the opening goal when Joshua Laws was ruled offside, but a clear handball by former Wellington striker Tover Hemed in the build-up escaped the attention of both referee Tim Danaskos and VAR controller Kris Griffiths-Jones … yes, him again!
Let's just say a comparison by referee of Wellington's A-League results over their history, and within that, a comparison of the decisions made in their matches by VAR referee, will likely make for some interesting reading ... on this occasion, a penalty to the home team should have been the outcome, not a disallowed goal.
Oliver Sail was called into action for the first time in the 33rd minute to keep out a long-range effort from Terry Antonis, but it was his opposite number, Tomas Mejias, who was on full alert in the shadows of the half-time whistle, turning a Reno Piscopo effort round the post after James McGarry had combined with Ball, who presented Piscopo with another shooting chance soon afterwards, this one fizzing narrowly past Mejias' right-hand post.
Wellington started the second half strongly, with Rhys Williams' intervention necessary to prevent a McGarry cross resulting in a goal for the home team within seconds of play's resumption.
The fullback then fired an ambitious volley wide following a cleared Lewis free-kick, before Williams once more came to Wests' rescue, his timely 54th minute tackle halting Gary Hooper's charge into the area.
The impressive Ben Old was next to threaten, his twenty-yarder sizzling past Mejias' left-hand upright after more good work by McGarry, whose thumping twenty yard volley on the hour was saved at full stretch to his left by Wests' goalkeeper.
Completely against the run of play, the visitors opened the scoring in the 66th minute, and to say it was controversial doesn't even begin to do justice to the injustice served to Wellington by the Video
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Assistant Referee's intervention.
Steven Ugarkovic delivered a free-kick into the danger zone which was flicked on by Bernie Ibini-Isei. Sail came to gather the ball but got nowhere near it, having been knocked off-kilter by Callan Elliot, who had been shoved towards his jumping team-mate by Hemed.
Hence why, when the ball dropped at the feet of the former Wellington striker, there was no one in yellow within three yards of him - more than ample space, six yards out from goal, in which to drill a shot goalwards, the ball just crossing the line before Old could hook it clear.
Wellington players immediately surrounded referee Tim Danaskos, complaining with both justification and vehemence aplenty that the goal should be ruled out for the aforementioned reasons. The officials, both pitch-side and upstairs, weren't for moving, however - 1-0 Wests, rightly or (more likely) wrongly.
The home team's efforts to get back on level terms were largely thwarted by a combination of substitutions, fouls, bookings … in effect, they were unable to re-establish any sense of rhythm to their play, which suited the visitors down to the ground. Indeed, it was Wests who came closest to scoring again in the 82nd minute, Sail once again turning an Antonis attempt to safety.
Come stoppage time, Wellington mounted one last concerted attack in an effort to equalise, and found themselves conceding a second goal on the counter-attack. Sail joined the attack in an effort to convert Piscopo's corner, but a headed clearance found its way to Thomas Aquilina.
The fullback charged downfield, only to be overtaken on the halfway line by Johnny Koutroumbis, who ran the rest of the way before ramming the ball home into the unguarded net to seal Wests' 2-0 victory.
Old tried in vain to reduce the deficit in the time remaining, but Wellington's unbeaten run was at an end, although whether it should have been is a matter of debate. VAR's contribution to this scoreline certainly influenced the outcome of the contest, but whether or not all the available evidence was considered before key decisions were made is very much a matter of debate …
Wellington: Sail; Elliot, Payne, Laws, McGarry; Old, Rufer (booked, 76), Lewis (Waine, 81), Piscopo; Hooper (booked, 68), Ball (booked, 86)
West. Syd.: Mejias; Aquilina (booked, 17), Koutroumbis, Williams, Traore (booked, 64); Rodwell (Mourdoukoutas, 83), Antonis, Ugarkovic; Ogawa (Najjarine, 74), Hemed (Russell, 90), Ibini-Isei (Petratos, 74)
Referee: Tim Danaskos
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